Siirob
by William Logan
Summary: A Draenei warrior finds that he must adapt to his new life as a refugee after the destruction of Shattrath City at the hands of the Orcs. Set prior to WC1, after "Rise of the Horde"


_**Siirob**_

**By William Logan**

Disclaimer: World of WarCraft and all related names belong to Blizzard Entertainment, and all that good stuff...

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**Chapter 1: The Fall of Shattrath**

The city was in flames - his home for so many years falling down around him, and Siirob could do nothing but grip his mace and shield and fall back, holding the orcs off from reaching the Draenei who had been hand-picked by Prophet Velen to survive the catastrophe that now befell them. Siirob silently prayed to the Light that his wife, Kurrai, had made it to safety. The streets of the once great city of Shattrath were slick with the blue blood of Siirob's friends and compatriots. It was all he could do not to be sick as he looked from ruined body to ruined body - and to think that it wasn't in very far history that these green-skinned orcs, tainted by the same demonic magicks that had twisted the majority of Siirob's race into horrors, had been a peaceful race that co-existed with the Draenei with no previous signs of aggression, until recently, when the orcs had begun raiding Draenei settlements unprovoked.

Siirob's reverie was broken when he heard a child scream nearby. His fingers gripped tighter around his mace as he rushed in the direction of a burning building that had once been a school. The warrior was surprised to see just how quickly he could run in platemail when the situation called for it, and as he saw the scene play out before him, he saw just how vital quick movement had been. Three children sat huddled in a corner, a fourth Draenei, an adult female, lay butchered feet away from them, azure blood still forming a pool around her, eyes agape in horror, staring at her assailants where she had fallen, the silvery glow that marked the eyes of their race completely gone. Two orcs loomed over the children, eyes glowing red as they brandished their weapons. Siirob let out a fierce battle cry, charging forward, slamming his shield into the back of one of the orcs as he spun about to face his new opponent, causing that one to stumble backwards, while the other brought up a crude axe a moment too late to block the blow from Siirob's mace which crushed his skull, splattering red and black gore on the walls.

"You will pay for the atrocities you have commited here, monster... you and your entire misbegotten race," the Draenei warrior growled as he rounded on the other orc, who had regained his footing, letting out a howl of fury, his pointed teeth bared.

"I will enjoy feasting on your entrails, blue skin..." was the only response the beast could muster as he lunged for Siirob with a pair of rough-hewn axes. The warrior grunted as he brought his shield up to bear, carrying the brunt of one blow with it, barely managing to knock the other axe aside with his mace. The two remained locked in this position for a moment before Siirob closed the distance between them, fiercely headbutting the orc, causing his opponent to stumble backwards long enough to get a swipe in with his mace, collapsing the orc's chest. The red fire in the green monster's eyes went out, black blood gushing from its mouth as it dropped to the ground.

"What are you younglings still doing in the city?" Siirob demanded, not realizing his harsh tone.

"P-priestess Yelgina came... t-to get us... and... the orcs came," the oldest of the three, a male, no older than twelve, managed, his eyes not leaving the body of the butchered Draenei, "she tried to convince them t-t-to let us live... but they didn't seem to hear, they just... killed her." Siirob closed his eyes for a moment, saying a soft prayer over the Priestess, bending down to shut her eyes.

"Let's try to get you to the pass," the warrior said with a heavy sigh, scooping up the youngest of the three, a young girl who clung to what appeared to be a very well-loved stuffed talbuk. _I am too old for this,_ he thought to himself, not without a note of amusement, as he began to run, looking back to see that the orcs had broken through yet another line of defenders, as indicated by the carnage in the streets, disembodied parts of Draenei strewn about as howls of harsh laughter filled the air. Death and smoke filled Siirob's nostrils, threatening to make him sick again as he ran, seeing a small group of fleeing refugees ahead, led by one of his good friends.

"Lainik!" Siirob cried, rushing forward, placing the youngling on the ground once he reached the small band, "Thank the Light you are still alive. The Naaru certainly look favorably on us..."

"Has nothing to do with the Naaru, Siirob," Lainik smiled warmly, twisting at his silver moustache, "just pure skill," he laughed, hefting the large war axe forged of violet crystals he had over his shoulder, his shield strapped securely on his other arm.

"Did Kurrai make it to safety," Siirob asked, glancing back over his shoulder as a strangled scream could be heard only a few dozen meters away.

"Yes, she was one of the first, with the Prophet himself, along with many of the other magi." Lainik patted his friend on the back, turning, shouting to the refugees to hurry, that the pass would be sealed soon, and anyone left would need to fend for themselves.

"The orcs seems to think that your estimate of time is lacking," Siirob said grimly as he turned to see a dozen soldiers who had broken rank fleeing, outnumbered three to one by the orcs that followed behind them.

"Seal the pass!" Lainik cried, "Let not one orc break through!" The Draenei behind him quickly worked, getting the few remaining refugees through before several spellcasters went to work, sealing off the passage used. The fleeing soldiers formed rank once again, rallying around Lainik, the highest ranking officer present.

"For our comrades... For Shattrath!" Lainik bellowed at the top of his lungs, pointing his axe towards the orcs, "Charge! For the Light!" As one, the Draenei surged forward, Siirob shoulder-to-shoulder, shield-to-shield with Lainik, blocking the first wave of oncoming orcs from attacking, using their height to their advantage. Lainik's axe caught the neck of his first opponent, cleaving the orc's snarling head clean from its body, twitching still as it fell to the ground. Siirob slammed the orc before him in the ribs with his shield, bringing his mace up to bear on the orc's jaw, causing a spectacular explosion of black blood with its connection. Only one of the Draenei rank fell during this first strike from the orcs, but the skirmish was quickly growing in intensity.

Siirob felt a blast of cold air pass his cheek and turned to see a lance of ice protruding from the chest of one of the orcish barbarians. He smiled to himself, this was doubly good news. It meant the mages had finished weaving their spell to protect those fleeing, which also indicated that they were free to aid cutting down these orcs. In the end, the defenders knew they had lost the city, but each orc dead meant retribution for the fallen Draenei around them. Siirob heard Lainik laugh nearby and turned to see that his compatriot was now surrounded by four orcs, deftly blocking each of their blows and managing to get in killing blows on each of them in rapid succession.

"Stop showing off," Siirob laughed.

"Showing off is all I have left to do!" Lainik returned, not without an air of grimness in his generally jovial tone as he swung at his next target. Behind them, they heard a scream of agony. Siirob spun about to see one of the Draenei spellcasters had burst into flames, his flesh falling from his body as emerald fire consumed him. This was not a good sign: the orcish warlocks had arrived. Siirob had barely had enough time to process this thought when he heard Lainik shout, "Siirob! Behind you!"

The Draenei warrior spun about on his hoof in time to look up, seeing a warhammer coming down on his head. He made to raise his shield, but the blow simply knocked the shield down onto Siirob's forehead. He felt his body hit the ground, seeing the blurry, dulling silhouette of the orc who had hit him looming overhead. A large, blue blur filled his line of vision, a crystal axe meeting the orc in the midsection, nearly splitting him in two, the broken green body collapsing.

"Hold on, Siirob!" Lainik cried as the light became dimmer in Siirob's eyes, before the still standing warrior shouted, "What are you doing here? You should have left with the others!"

"It seems my aide is needed here," a familiar female voice snarled nearby, "it seems you males can never get out of trouble without the help of a female." The exasperated tone came from very close to Siirob. He was at once filled with joy and great horror, realizing that there was more than likely no way out for anyone around him. Including the newly arrived female, his beloved...

"Kurrai," Siirob managed to gasp, tasting blood in his mouth, seeing the outline of his wife, her eyes gleaming silver as the rest of his world slowly turned to black.

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To Be Continued...

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End file.
